Girl born to Shambhala Buddhist royal couple in Halifax

CBC News, August 11, 2010

King and queen of Himalayan kingdom live in the city

Halifax, Nova Scotia (Canada) -- The queen of the Shambhala Buddhist community gave birth to a baby girl Wednesday morning in Halifax.

<< Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche and Sakyong Wangmo Khandro Tseyang, the king and queen of the Shambhala Buddhist community, are the proud parents of a baby girl born in Halifax.Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche and Sakyong Wangmo Khandro Tseyang, the king and queen of the Shambhala Buddhist community, are the proud parents of a baby girl born in Halifax. (Peter Seidler/Canadian Press)

The new princess, who was born at the IWK Health Centre, has been named Drukmo Yeshe Sarasvati Ziji Mukpo, which means Lady Dragon Wisdom.

She is the first child of Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche and his queen, Sakyong Wangmo Khandro Tseyang, who are holders of the hereditary Shambhala Buddhist lineage and were married in Halifax in 2006.

The baby girl was delivered at 10:24 a.m.

Traditional Tibetan rituals are being performed privately at the family's home in Halifax.

The royal line dates back over a thousand years to the Tibetan king, Gesar of Ling, whose epic story is told in song and dance throughout Asia.

"The birth was cheerful, uplifted and free of complications," Dr. Mitchell Levy, personal physician to the royal family, said in a news release. "Both mother and child are healthy and resting well."

Levy is professor of medicine at the Alpert Medical School of Brown University in Providence, R.I.

The couple decided to have the birth in Halifax because it is their adopted home and the spiritual capital of the worldwide Shambhala community. The Shambhala community in Nova Scotia numbers more than 600 people.

The Shambhala Buddhist tradition has thousands of members in about 50 countries throughout the world. It takes its name from the Himalayan kingdom of Shambhala, whose residents are known for their wisdom and compassion.